


In Our Idle Town

by IamRegretingThis



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Again, Birthday Party, Bullying, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Children, Fluff, Fluffy Wooluu | Wooloo, Friendship, Good Older Sibling Dande | Leon, Haircuts, Hospitals, I Tried, Implied Child Abandonment, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Leon's childhood, Light Angst, Like, Multi, Nicknames, Really Light Angst, Sad Dande | Leon, Slow Burn, and yes i will cry when writing it, farm, gran maggy will look after you, hop being baby, im sorry baby leon, im sorry sonia and leon arent endgame, just a bunch of pants boys, just a warning that yes leon's dad will die, ok i got impatient, probably not soz, raihan shows up in chapter 5 now, raihan wont show up until chapter 7 im sorry, sorry sonia, subtle implications on what will happen, they are children - Freeform, this wasn't my goal but mayhaps i'll go down this path, wow this is really sounding like a sonia x leon fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25014937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamRegretingThis/pseuds/IamRegretingThis
Summary: Bildungsroman/ˈbɪldʊŋzrəʊˌmɑːn/nouna novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education.---“Hi!”Leon jumped in his seat. Trying to find where the voice came from, he feels a tap on his head. He looks up.“Are you ok? Ya’ seem to be having a good panic right there,” The girl states, “I’m Sonia and you’re gonna be my friend,”【ON HIATUS】
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Sonia, Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	1. Comic Book Hero

“Lee, it’s time to wake up,”

“Mmh- NO!”

“Come on Leon,” his mother scolded, “You know this isn’t the day to sleep in,”

“NO NO NO,”

Leon kicked and tossed himself over, turning his back from his mother, hearing her tutting from under his doona. It was quiet again. Assuming his mother left, he slowly drifted back to sleep. He barely registered another weight shifting on the bed.

“Lee,” his mother said, leaning over him, “if you keep this up, you’ll sleep through your birthday,”

From the look of the dozy boy’s face, he didn’t seem to comprehend. _Birthday?_

“But, I understand if you’d rather sleep the whole day,” she hummed, amused. “Doesn’t seem to matter as much,”

_It's his birthday!_ He tried getting off his bed but his mother refused to move. Twisting and turning, trying to slip away from the weight on top of him.

“Mum!” he whined, “gerroff me!”

“Oh, but Lee, I thought you wanted to sleep in today?” 

His mum’s laughter irritated him beyond belief, didn’t she know that today was important? He was turning 7, a year closer to DOUBLE digits! 

“MẸ! TODAY IS MY _BIRTHDAY_!”

Pushing and shoving seemed to not help his case. It seems like his new 7-year-old brute strength wasn’t enough, time to play dirty. He put on his best-distressed face, stilled his movements, and looked up at his mum.

He sniffled and started crying. A tinge of guilt washed over himself as he looked at his mother’s concerned face. She quickly stood up, turning to check on him.

“Leon are you- HEY YOU CHEEKY LITTLE BUGGER,” she screamed as Leon threw himself off his bed, sprinting as fast as his little body could. Purple hair followed in his place, twisting and turning as if they were alive. 

He erupted in giggles when he turned to see his mum running after him. Stepping on his long pyjama pants, Leon carefully went down the stairs, soon opting to slide down the railing, much to his family’s dismay. Purrloin, the poor thing, jumped about 5 feet in the air when he nearly jumped on them when turning the corner into the kitchen. He spun his head around to apologise before turning back and slamming right into the dining table.

“Lee!” his mum shouted with worry as she saw him on the floor.

“It’s ok! It was just a bump!”

His bleeding forehead did nothing to convince his mother nor did it release her worries.

* * *

Cutting your head leads to a lot of blood loss, but otherwise, small cuts would turn out ok despite the fact. Unfortunately, Leon and his family were not aware of this causing a midmorning panic to Wedgehurst hospital. A nurse with bright orange hair calmed the family down, informing them that the amount of blood was normal for even a minor head injury. She was nice to Leon, cleaning him from the dried blood and bandaging him up. The nurse took out a jar of candies he could choose from.

Now, Leon is sitting on a hospital bed, in the middle of the day, on his birthday. This is the coolest birthday ever in his eyes. Maybe he’ll even get a cool scar on his face! 

He sees his parents talking to the nurse that gave him a lolly. Their voices droned on and on making the rest of the room seem quiet. It made him curious if there were anyone else willing to talk to him. The large room of hospital beds felt more foreign the more he looked around. It was too clean and had too much white. The nurse’s voice seemed to be the only sound in the room.

He was getting bored, fidgeting, looking around, unable to stay still. Leon looked down at the rows of hospital beds, getting more and more curious as to who could be behind each curtain if there was anyone even. He was sure no one would mind if he were to explore a little bit.

Climbing off the bed, he turns to his parents and nurse still talking. He walks in the opposite direction.

* * *

 _Hospitals are big,_ Leon realises, wandering around the copies of hallways stretching out to what seems like miles. His adventure wasn't entirely boring so far. He met many people, most of them asking if he was lost. _Of course not!_ He would scoff. 

The interesting people were the other patients. He met a lady that looked the same age as his nonna. She was watching a TV drama in a language he couldn’t understand. He found it funny to watch her yell and laugh at the TV in the same language as the show, just like his nonna. Another person had a robot arm! The person told Leon he made it by himself. That seemed way cooler than a scar. 

All the doctors and nurses were nice to him but they felt _too_ nice. They dotted on him just like his grandparents annoying him to no end. His mum told him that he had to be nice to other people even if you don't want to. It makes people happy, and Leon was ok with that. 

He wandered out another hospital room, body on autopilot as he thought about all the cool new people he saw. Leon yawned. _That’s enough exploring,_ he decided.

…

…

Where was he?

…

Uh oh.

The halls seem unfamiliar now. He continued walking, looking around, trying to find any sign to lead him back. The stale air made itself known, making everything seem quiet. The fluorescent lights blinded him. Feeling his breathing grow rapid, Leon tries to calm himself, looking around. He doesn't remember where he came from. 

The hallway looks like it stretches to infinity. Breathe in. He can feel goosebumps appearing on his skin. Breathe out. He doesn’t realise that he’s walking significantly faster. Breathe in. His vision goes blurry. He doesn’t know if they are tears. Breathe out. He goes and sits on the nearest bench before he could even think about falling. Breathe in. He’s ok, his parents will find him. Breathe out. Why does it feel so quiet?

“Hi!”

Leon jumped in his seat. Trying to find where the voice came from, he feels a tap on his head. He looks up.

“Are you ok? Ya’ seem to be having a good panic right there,”

It was a girl with unruly orange hair, leaning out the window above the bench. Her big square glasses hid green eyes that stared back at him. Her pigtails brushed across his face. She seemed familiar.

“I- uh, it’s just-” Leon stumbled, moving the hair out of his face, “I’m- I’m just lost, it's no biggie,”

The girl’s brow furrowed as he wiped his teary eyes. Adjusting her glasses, she slid back into the room and soon, the click of a door handle echoed in the hall. She wordlessly dragged Leon into what looked like a break room and sat him on a sofa. 

“You stay here,” the girl states, “I’m Sonia and you’re gonna be my friend,”

“Oh- ok,”

“You’re supposed to say your name too!” Sonia giggled.

“Lee- my name is Leon,” He stuttered as Sonia stepped closer to him. She seemed to be examining his bandaged forehead and bloodstained pyjamas.

“You’re the boy with lots of friends at school!”

“Oh?” 

That’s why she seemed familiar. He kept seeing her on the bench at school when he was playing soccer with his classmates. She looked like she was always waiting for someone, he never saw that person though.

“You look like a superhero!” she exclaimed, running to the pile of books atop the coffee table. Rummaging through layers of novels and magazines, she pulls out a thin book with a vibrant illustration on the front cover.

“Look! Look!” she flipped through the book, “ya have the same hair as this hero!”

He looked and there it was, a woman in a tight bodysuit with flowing purple hair surrounded by what looked like Dynamax energy. Leon took the book in awe.

“People can do Dynamax too?” Leon wondered, eyes still flipping through the pages.

“No silly! They’re superheroes, they don’t grow big. They have their own powers and they save people!”

Sonia watched as Leon read the comic book, eyes glowing brighter with each page.

“Have you never read comics before?”

“No...” 

“WHAT!” she screeched, “COMICS ARE THE BEST! What else are you s’posed to do for fun?”

“I play with the Wooloo and sometimes soccer,” 

Running towards the bookshelf, she took out as many comic books as she could, throwing them towards the ground near Leon. Digging through the layers of comics, pushing her glasses up, she picked one up and shoved it in his arms.

“Read this one first!”

Sometime later, Leon is found by his parents and the nurse from before. He and Sonia had bed sheet-made capes on, running and jumping on the furniture. Comic book in hand, Leon mimics the attacks the hero performs.

“YOU CAN’T STOP ME!” he screamed, launching himself off the couch, pushing Sonia to the ground. They ended up a pile of tangled limbs, laughing as they threw pretend attacks at each other. They looked up at the amused adults standing in the door.

“MAMA!”

“MUM! DAD!”

Both children jumped to their feet, running towards their parents. Leon gave his mum and paps the biggest hug he could muster. He was suddenly pushed out from the hug.

“Lee! You gave me and your father the biggest scare!” she scolded, “Do you have any idea how frightened we were?”

“I’m sorry,” he apologised. Looking down at his feet, he tugged the bottom of his shirt.

“Don’t give us that,” his paps pulled him back in, “Let’s go back, hey, and we can have yer presents and cake!”

“IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY TOO!?” Sonia shouted.

“Honey, remember, inside voice,” her mother tried, “but yes, it is Sonia's birthday today as well,”

“Well you are very welcome to join us tonight,” Leon’s mother offered, “it will be a barbeque with some of the neighbours down in Postwick,”

Sonia and Leon continued to chase each other around their mother’s feet while the parents talked. They played their own game of tag until they had to part. They said their goodbyes knowing they’ll see each other again soon.

“Leon, Leon, Leon!” 

“Yeah?”

“When I come over you better show me your wooloo, I wanna see why they’re fun,” she declared.

“Ok! You can see our yampers too!”

On their way out, Leon talked non-stop about the people he met, Sonia, and comics. When they reached the midday sun, he realised one important thing.

“I DON’T HAVE A PRESENT FOR SONIA!” he cried, “I can’t just give her nothing for her birthday!”

His father calmed him down, saying that they could buy something in Wedgehurst before they left. He had to be fast so they could prepare for the party. Leon was practically jumping on his toes, skipping down the shopping district. 

_Flowers? Not flowers, they’ll die,_ he thought, _not comics either, she has a lot._

His eyes stopped at an accessory store. Running towards the window, he saw different hair accessories. He looked at them and remembered some of the girls at his school wearing them too.

“Mum! Paps!” he shouted at his parents, “I wanna look in here!”

A nod from his dad was all the permission he needed to run into the store. He zoomed straight to where the hair clips were situated, thinking about Sonia’s curly mess of orange hair. He picked up a pair of butterfly clips that looked just like her eyes.

* * *

Sonia was skipping up the hill to Postwick, jumping on the early autumn leaves. Postwick was all farms which interested Sonia even if her town wasn’t a metropolis either. Her parents let her walk to Leon’s house by herself. They say it's because she’s a big girl now but while she thinks that's very true, she knows their work at the hospital is more important. 

She turned around to look at the town that was growing ever so small on the horizon. The crop fields turned to Wooloo pens. All of them seemed very focused on eating. She couldn’t see the yampers Leon was talking about. Maybe they stayed in their house.

Wooloo cries and Rookidee chirps filled the country air. It was calm. It was quiet. She liked it.

“SONNNNNIIIAAA!”

Well, that was fun. She took a deep breath.

“LEEEEEOOOON!” 

She looked up the track to see Leon sprinting from his house so she started running too. 

“HI LE- OOF” Sonia was engulfed in a strangling hug from Leon.

“I’m super happy you came!” he squealed, lifting Sonia in his excitement, ”I’ve never had a friend over before!”

“Lee- I- I can’t breathe,” she huffed out. Leon sees her state and immediately sets her down.

“Oops, sorry, I got excited,” straightening up her now wrinkled dress while she adjusted her glasses.

A loud bleat came from over the fence. The two looked over to see a couple of Wooloo rolling towards them. It seems the dubwool was sleeping underneath a tree.

“Sonia! These are the Wooloo I told you about,” Leon walked up to the pair of Wooloo, leaning over the fence to pet them. He picked one up and over the fence with ease which shocked Sonia.

“Here, now you can-”

“WOW YOU’RE REALLY STRONG” she interrupted.

She hopped over to him and the Wooloo then plopped herself on the dirt, beckoning for the pokemon. Leon smiled and gave the pokemon to Sonia while he went back to grab the other. 

“My Paps and Nonno sheared them because they get hot in the summer,” he explained, “their wool is still growing back. In the winter, they are really really fluffy,”

“More fluffy than this?”

“Yeah! My whole arm could disappear in their wool!”

“Woah,” she said in awe, “Wooloo are so cool! But where are the Yampers? The ones you were talkin’ ‘bout?”

“They’re sleeping in their house!”

“The yampers have their own home?” Sonia asked in disbelief, “why can’t they stay in yours?”

“Mum said they would make too much mess,” he stood up, “and they would be happier to run around outside,”

They returned the Wooloo to their pen, much to Sonia’s dismay, and headed up to Leon’s house. The manor looks nothing like the cramped apartments she was used to. It looked even bigger than her grandma’s research centre! The grey bricks were covered in moss and vines, giving the whole rectangular building an old feel. The cacophony of varying shrubs and flowers set a difference from the familiar research centre, which has a trimmed and clean garden.

“Welcome, Sonia!” 

The two turned to Leon’s mother, manning the grill in the front garden. Her accent seemed different but she couldn’t place it. Tables of skewers, fruit, and cupcakes laid out before them making Sonia hungry just looking at them. She walked towards the grill.

“Thank you for having me, Mrs Leon,” she bowed. 

“Oh my! No need to be formal, call me Carta or Mrs Kingston,”

“Ok, Mrs King!” 

“Wonderful!” Carta laughed, “you’re just in time too! The neighbours should be arriving in a bit so you and Leon can go play,”

She turned to Leon, watching his face light up and matched his big grin. He gestured her to follow, running into the house. She pushed up her glasses then started to follow.

“Hurry!” Lee called, “My room’s upstairs!”

Sonia ran to the staircase where Leon was, running up with him to the second level of the manor. She slowed down, glancing at the photos hanging on the corridor walls, some showing people she didn’t know and some of our own Leon. 

“Come on slowpoke!” 

Snapping out of her trance, Sonia gained speed and ran straight into Leon. They landed into his room with a thump, slowly picking themselves off the floor. She looked around the room while Leon dug through his bag. It was larger than her room in town, with everything moved along the walls, it looked even bigger. All the furniture had at least some Charizard on it. It looks like Charizard is his favourite pokemon. He had so many shelves yet they were bare, with only a couple of toys that lived on the low shelves.

“Ah-ha!” Leon exclaimed, pulling a paper bag out from his backpack, “Here! It’s your birthday present!”

Turning down to the gift being shoved into her arms, she sat down. She took off her bag and pulled out a badly wrapped gift.

“I got you a present too!” she holds out the present towards Leon, waiting for him to take it, “We can open them together,” 

Watching him smile made Sonia smile too. They both held their exchanged gifts waiting for each other before they ripped the covering open. She looked down at the several packets of assorted hair clips. Sifting through the packs, she found butterfly clips, heart snap clips, and ornate hairpins. Smiling, she unconsciously patted down her hair, looking up at Leon, hoping she could see the tail end of his reaction. 

Plastic surrounded him as it appeared that he ripped through all the protective packaging of the stack of comic books. He was already reading the first book of the series making Sonia laugh. He looked up.

“Do you like your gift?” he asked, “it helps your hair not go poof!”

“Yes!” she giggled, “help me put them on!”

By the time Leon’s mother called the two down, Sonia’s hair was adorned with every clip she was gifted, leaving her natural hair barely any room to breathe. Murmurs and comments sprouted from the neighbours when the two friends showed up hand in hand. Leon could feel Sonia becoming uncomfortable with every stare, but she did not let go of his hand.

“Carta! Your little boy is such a ladies’ man” one woman giggled, “he’s sure to be a heartbreaker when he grows up!”

“Aren’t they so cute! Better plan the wedding soon,”

The party erupted with laughter and remarks of the sort. Leon didn’t like the feeling. He let go of Sonia’s hand, turning away while he did.

“Ladies,” Carta started, “they’re only children, it's not good to set up an expectation like that in front of them!”

He didn’t hear her. He didn’t see the others amend their words. He couldn’t focus on anything but his thoughts. It confused him.

“Leon! Sonia!” he heard his mother call, “time for cake!”

_That_ caught his attention. 

“COMING!” 

He didn’t take Sonia’s hand back.

* * *

Leon’s thoughts were overtaken by cake, food, and the promise of play. He and Sonia had frosting caked into their hair and face, opting for the efficient and far superior method of eating without cutlery. His mother cleaned the two of them off before they ran off into the yard, finding the bench next to the shed to unwrap their gifts.

The evening sun-filled their faces, laughter invaded their breaths, while the day slowly disappeared from their minds. Each gift was filled with awe and excitement. Looking down at his plethora of Charizard merchandise, he turned to Sonia, playing with her hair. It became clear to him how little gifts she had received compared to him. Looking down at the lapful of his own present, picking out a Yamper plush. He slyly slid down the bench they were sitting on, slowly pushing the Yamper’s face into hers.

“LEE!” she jumped, “what’s that for?”

“Givin’ you this Yamper,” he smiled, mostly at her reaction, “you should have more presents on your birthday! To make you feel special,”

Sonia was still tugging at her hair, staring at the plush. She hadn’t taken it yet and the silence was overwhelming him.

“AND! Since you didn’t get to see the Yampers with the Wooloo, I thought you’d still wanna see them,”

The empty space was filled with distance banter and Leon’s panic. Her face wasn’t fazed by the growing silence but it did faze him. He was opening his mouth to come up with something else to say before he was engulfed in a hug. It was warm.

“Ya know,” Sonia took the plush, “I think you’re a lot more like a hero than the ones in the comics.”

“What d’ya mean?”

A smile was the only answer she held out her hand.

“Come on, I wanna get more cake,”

He took it. He followed.

“There you two are!” His mother called, “everyone is going home now but I just got a call from Sonia’s mum,”

Sonia looked up for that. Leon saw something in her eyes, she squeezed his hand tighter. He didn’t say anything.

“She needs to work longer today,” she continued, “saying you’d have to walk back to your grandma’s house-”

“NO!” Sonia yelled.

It surprised him and his mother.

“I don’t wanna,” she said quieter, “I want my mama, not granny!”

Leon wasn’t prepared for her tears. They were big and coagulated on her glasses with no sign of stopping anytime soon.

“Oh, cô gái nhỏ,” Carta knelt down, “I thought that walk would be too long for you to walk by yourself in the dark,”

Leon let go of Sonia’s hand so his mum could hold her.

“That's why you and Leon are having a sleepover! Won’t that be fun?”

While he was very excited that he would be able to spend more time with his new friend, he couldn’t bear being even the littlest bit happy while she was crying. Tears continued flowing while she took his mother’s hand. She nodded and that was their cue to go indoors.

“Leon, Dandelion, could you get some pyjamas and a toothbrush for your friend while she gets cleaned up?”

He made a sound of agreement and went to work. Leon couldn’t understand why Sonia’s mum couldn’t pick her up. _Was she not important enough? That was bollocks!_ He thought. He berated himself for his use of a bad word, even if he only thought about it. _She needed the best!_

Opening his wardrobe, he picked out his comfiest pair of jammies with the coolest Charizard on it for Sonia. He can have his second-best pair for her today. He placed them both on his bed making him wonder where she would sleep.

“Hey Lil’ Lion!” 

Speaking of which, his dad entered his room, accompanied by a mattress.

“Heard yer Lil’ friend’s staying over today,” he continued, “got this from the spare room, thought you two’d want to be together.”

“Thanks, Paps!”

He held the mattress and pulled it into his room further. Slowly dragging it closer and closer inside.

“Woah there Lee!” his pap brushed his ponytail back, “What’re we feeding ya to be this strong! Just leave this to me fer now, go give yer jammies to yer friend,”

“Ok!”

And off Leon dashed. He came back to his room before long, to collect the forgotten pyjamas. He could hear his pap’s deep laughter when he trailed back down the hall.

* * *

“Hey, Lee?”

Leon sleepily looked down from his bed. Sonia calmed down a lot, being a lot happier whence they started playing again. It was late into the night, they were supposed to be asleep.

“Yeah?”

“How come you never talked to me at school before?”

He laid there, contemplating in his half-awake state.

“I know you were always looking at me,”

“Why didn’t you talk to me then?” he countered.

The silence was the only response he got but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

“I thought you were waiting for someone,” he answered, “I didn’t see your friends so I thought you were waiting for them,”

“I don’t have friends,”

“Well,” Leon contemplated, “I’m your friend now! Like you said before,”

With that, Leon drifted to sleep with the lull of swaying leaves and distant noises of Wooloo. 

“You are my hero,” Sonia softly whispered. 

Later he swears it was just a dream and soon forgot about their late conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [4002 words]
> 
> If I ever sound like I know what I'm doing... no, I don't
> 
> \- I made Sonia and Leon’s birthday on August 14th because that's the date the pokemon card game championships start this year and I just think it’s cute that they could share a birthday ((I have two childhood friends with the same birthday who were absolutely convinced they were twins, even though they looked nothing alike. That’s Leon and Sonia.”  
> \- The superhero is Psylocke from Marvel. Purple-haired heroes are hard to think of.  
> \- Leon’s mum: Carta (Viola calcarata, a type of violet flower)  
> \- Sonia x Leon is not endgame sadly  
> \- Leon’s family is half Vietnamese now, I don’t take constructive criticism  
> \- cô gái nhỏ means little girl basically  
> \- Mẹ: mother in việt (pronounced m-air [somewhat] in the southern dialect)
> 
> Up next: Country's Strength


	2. Country's Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon runs into trouble during school. He faces things he doesn't understand yet and helps out in the farm with his paps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah it's still Sunday,,,,,
> 
> TW: Leon gets bullied and it gets physical real quick, if you don't like the thought, you may leave until the next chapter.
> 
> This made me sad to write about.

He was running. He couldn’t stop, even when his breath became ragged and his legs started to betray him. Shadows grew higher and higher, voices became distant, leaves started invading the paths he trekked. He hadn’t seen this part of the school before and the unfamiliarity was frightening. Walls of old sheds and abandoned bathrooms rose over his head, overgrowth helped shroud the forgotten corner of the property. 

Leon turned a corner hoping to lose the people on his trail. An Iron fence stopped any further distance he could make, leaving him the only option to turn back. A sharp turn back was followed by a stumble off the roots of an old tree. Clambering to hide his body from view behind the trunk, sitting on the warped brick, he hugged his grazed knees to attempt to stop his shaking.

Taunts and gazes weren’t following him anymore, no one was following him anymore. He couldn’t catch his breath, no matter how hard he tried to focus, their echoing words overtook his world. He looked down at his shoes, desperately trying to keep himself out of his ever-darkening mind.

“Hey!”

Leon could feel himself shaking even more. His shoes became blurry, why were they blurry? He saw someone kick his shins.

“Guys!” a boy laughed, “come look! The little princess has gone off to cry!”

He didn’t hear the others approach. His knees felt wet. The tears became known to him but he wouldn’t dare to move, he wouldn’t dare to look up.

“Aww, the princess is sad,”

“Sad that her little friend ain’t here to save her!”

The next kick he felt was harder, it knocked him back up to his senses. On reflex, his arms rose up in hopes of protecting himself.

“Stop!” he tried, “please,”

Snickers were all he heard before he was pushed to the floor. Scrambling to get up, one of the boys pushed him back down, stepping on his stomach to hold him down.

“She said please!” one called out, “please is for babies  _ and _ girls,”

“If we cut her hair maybe she’ll turn back into a boy!” another remarked. 

“That’s what we brought the scissors for, idiot,”

His heart dropped even further. The pressure on his stomach increased until it was gone. His hair was tugged upward and his body followed. Panic made his strength nothing compared to the gang of bullies surrounding him. It had no effect when he tried and tried to struggle out of their reach. They dragged him to the fence, holding his arms against the bars. 

The sound of his hair being chopped off made his tears flow faster.

“STOP!” he screamed, trying to break out of the boys’ arms, “STOP IT!”

Leon’s repeating words were null to his attackers. Tears and cries were accompanied by his hair, all falling flat to where he wished he could reach. With every taste of escape came with bars of arms restraining him even more. Punches soon followed, bruising him and making it hard to stand by himself. Their mockery was all he could hear now, all he could think now. He didn’t know if he was yelling anymore, it all became white noise.

Suddenly, he was thrown back onto the ground, hitting the pavement. He laid there with his severed hair, grasping the floor with whatever strength left, hoping there would be something that would push him to run. 

“We cut off his hair but he’s still just a little princess!”

“What do you expect for a boy who hangs around girls, he’s probably gay,”

“Gross,” Leon felt a foot pressing on his back, “he should-”

“EXCUSE ME!” he recognised that voice, “What did you boys do?!”

The weight on his back disappeared. He felt the frantic footsteps of the other boys having been caught. He could barely hear the shouts being thrown overhead. Everything hurt, dirt was caked into his tears as he rolled onto his back. Grains of dusted pricked his eyes as he looked up at the too blue sky. 

“Leon,” He jolted up, pulling his hands up in case of another onslaught of attack. “Honey, it’s ok, it's just me,”

“Am… Am I in trouble?” he asked with every word racked with sobs, “I’m sorry, I thought- I didn’t mean to! Please don’t hit me,”

  
  


Dragging himself into a corner, he made himself as small as he could. None of his cuts and bruises mattered to him at the moment, his only concern was to not endure any more.

“Of course not, Leon,” the man, his English teacher he remembered, eased, “those terrible boys were taken to the principal’s office. Can you stand? We need to get you cleaned up,”

Sniffs and gasps followed his nod while he took his teacher’s hand. Every movement hurt when he stood up but he didn’t want to appear any weaker to another person.  _ He wasn’t a girl, he wasn’t gay.  _ If being gay meant being bullied and beat up, he didn’t want it.

Arriving at the health centre, the school nurse was absolutely horrified at all the bruises and cuts on Leon and even more so when learning students of his age were the ones who inflicted the damage. The nurse was cleaning his grazed knees when he decided to check his hair.

Running his hand on the shortened hair, he dragged his fingers along the remaining long strands that were missed. They cut his hair too close to the scalp in some places, he didn’t like the feeling. He pulled them as if it would magically make them longer. Crying again would make him weak but that didn’t stop him from letting out a whimper.

“Is this hurting you?” the nurse asked, “I’ll try and be more gentle-”

“I’m not weak,”

“What?”

Leon looked up, determined to not let his tears out.

“I’m not weak, I can take it!” 

“Doll-”

“I’m not a girl either!” He shouted, anger heating behind his tears.

The nurse stood up to throw out the dirtied cotton balls. She took off her gloves and started walking back to him. Taking his hands, she knelt down to be level with his eyes but he turned his eyes down.

“I know you’re not, doll,” she started, “but, why do you make it sound like it’s a bad thing?”

He didn’t look up. He didn’t look up when the nurse bandaged his arms. He didn’t look up when he was given a lollipop. He didn’t look up when he left the health centre. He didn’t look up when he and his teacher started walking.

“We need you to tell us what happened back there,” his teacher stated, “Of course, the boys will be punished, but it’s better to know more about the story,” 

Leon didn’t feel like talking but he knew he had to. He needed to tell the teachers that he wasn’t weak, that he was strong, but if he still didn’t know why the boys he used to be friends with hit him. 

“Hey Leon,” the teacher tugged on his arm, “are ya still with me?”

All he could do was nod, feeling like he would save all his talking until he absolutely had to.

“Good,” the man continued, “we called your mother to come to pick you up, unfortunately, it seems like she’s out of town. Your father will be coming instead, is that ok?”

He nodded again. They had reached the front office when he could hear yelling, he didn’t want more yelling. The two went inside and he recognised his father’s voice.

“WHAT D’YA MEAN MY SON WAS IN THE WRONG?” 

“Ah,” his teacher started, “it seems your father is here already,”

“I DON’T SEE A DARN SCRATCH ON ANY OF YER BOYS AND YET MINE’S THE ONE AT THE NURSE’S!”

It wasn’t often Leon saw his father mad, it was usually his mum, and that was a good thing. The glaring look on his pap’s face paired with his towering height would make anyone scared. His booming voice was something only reserved for his boisterous laughter, not for shouts, which meant he was really mad. Leon was lucky enough to never be the reason for his anger, but he’s witnessed it enough times to know what the feeling would be.

“Paps?” Leon finally looked up. He saw his father’s face break from anger to relief. Engulfed in a hug, he could feel himself getting picked up.

“Dandelion,” His paps sounded so soft, “Are you ok? What did they do to you?”

Calloused hands patted down his hair, pushing the uneven strands out of his face. Seeing his father’s heartbroken face made himself feel cold, it wasn’t something he wanted to see ever again.

“So,” his father turned, “Do ya really still believe yer boys are in the right?”

“They’re just boys,” a shorter blonde woman stood up, trying to challenge his pap, “it's completely normal for them to act this way,”

Leon would have laughed if he wasn’t in pain. The woman looked so scared, even when trying to defend herself and her son.

“My son shouldn’t be punished for-”

“Save it,” another woman stood up, “Dean is completely right. The boys did something completely inexcusable,”

The other woman- his neighbour if he remembers- looked down at her boy who was sitting down, looking at his feet.

“Bryce,” her voice was cold, unlike his father’s rage, yet still so terrifying, “What on the entirety of this Earth made you think this was ok?”

“She deserved it,” the boy murmured.

“You mean he, and he did not-”

“I meant ‘she’! She’s a weak princess, Kevin told me!”

“Did not!” a taller boy refuted, “I jus’ said that he was gay! It was Blake who said that!”

“Kevin!”

All the adults joined in on the game of tossing the blame, either trying to defend their child or combatting the arguments. Leon didn’t want to be a part of it, he didn’t want to hear their words again. He dug his head into his father's shoulders hoping the arguing would stop, and he would be able to go home. Feeling his pap’s angry shouts, he started to cry.

“Enough.” A voice entered the office.

It was the headmistress, a lean woman who was always adorned with high fashion pantsuits. She always looked like the villains he read about in comics but she was nicer than they were.

“Everyone, take a seat, let’s get this sorted.”

Mrs Diana’s order carried on without repetition. Leon noticed his paps moved their chairs further away from the other boys which made him relieved.

“First and foremost, Leon, could you tell us what happened?” Mrs Diana asked, “it’s fine if you don’t want to,”

“It’s ok,” he assured, “I can- I’ll tell you,”

“Dandelion, are ya sure?” his father asked. He nodded and turned to the headmistress.

“I- We- we finished P.E. and I was going to get changed,” he stuttered, “but, someone took my uniform,”

A cough interrupted followed by a disapproving voice.

“They came to me,” he continued, “I thought they wanted to help but- but then they started pulling my hair… They- they called me names and I- I- I didn’t like it! So, I ran but they followed me,”

His voice died down with the last sentence. The memory was still fresh but he had to get it over with. Feeling his paps squeezing his arm, he looked back down.

“I kept running and I thought I lost them. I tripped on a tree and I had to sit down. But- but they found me a- a- and kicked me a lot. They kept calling me weird and a girl and said I was- I don’t remember who, but one of them cut my hair- they kept talking about cutting my hair.

“They kept stepping on me and- and calling me a princess! But I’m not a princess! They put me on the ground after and everything hurt- it hurt a lot. I don’t know why- I don’t know what I did wrong!”

“It’s ok Dande-”

“Because he’s a girl!”

Everyone turned to the voice. Kevin was looking at Leon with the same disgusted face as before. His mother, the blonde one, said nothing, only watching the two boys’ interaction.

“Do you really accept this behaviour?!” 

“I don’t see this as a major problem-”

“Your son assaulted Dean’s boy and you don't see the problem?” his neighbour was disgusted, “Bryce has done the exact thing your boy did and I can bloody see the problem! You can bet he’s gonna be punished, I don’t care what the school wants to do!”

“I-”

“Stop, I’ve heard enough,” the headmistress sighed, “Leon, Dean, you can leave. I don’t expect that you’d be in school for a couple of days, I can't blame you. I apologise for the trouble and I will provide whatever you need, within reason of course,”

“Thank you.” His father’s curt answer worried him.

There was no time to question as he was picked up and carried out. Looking back, he saw the headmistress with a grave expression plastered on her face. No one else in the office watched them walk away.

The car ride home was quiet, the sounds coming from the pickup truck filled up the empty space. Leon was looking down, he had for so long, it started making his neck ache. Instead, he fiddled with the bandages on his hands and legs. 

The constant hum of the car lulled Leon to sleep. Falling against the window, he let the distant Wooloo fade to black.

* * *

When he woke up, Leon was in his bed, dressed in his pyjamas. It was already dark outside so he must have slept for a few hours. Contemplating whether or not he should get up, he heard some distant talking outside his room. Curiosity got the best of him and he dragged himself out of bed. He is suddenly reminded of his aching legs when slowly shuffling to his door. Pressing his ear against the door, just to be safe, he heard two voices, one belonging to his paps and the other too muffled to decipher. 

“Carta, can ya really not come home any sooner? Yes. Yes, I know,”

_ Mum? _ Leon opened the door just a slither to see what was going on. Looking around, he didn’t see his paps or his mum, cueing him to open the door just a fraction more. A shadow caught his attention, making him flinch back only to realise it was coming from his parent’s room just across the hall. 

“Pumpkin, the bullying has gone too far, he hasn’t a clue on what is happening either,”

He wondered what his father meant. Of course, he knows what's happening! He was there when he was being bullied!

“Yes, he will be skipping school tomorrow. I’ll tell his Lil’ friend so she won't be worried. Dandelion can keep me company in the field! We’ll be waiting for you, miss you my Carrot,”

The tell-tale beep of the Rotom phone signified that the conversation was over. Leon stumbled back into his room, only to back into his study table, pushing him out of the room.

“Dandelion? I see you’re finally up!” his happy paps was back, with his contagious smile that Leon mimicked, “come on, I have Shepherd’s pie in the oven,” 

“Ok!” Shepherd's pie was his favourite, “Did you talk to mum?”

“Oh, eavesdropping I see,” His paps chuckled, “Yes, I was. Don’t worry yer pretty little head, you’ll be with me tomorrow. It’s been a while since you’ve helped me out,”

“I miss Wooloo! Do you think I can take some inside? I promise they won’t break anything!

“Ya said that last time, Dandelion!” 

“Please! Mum doesn’t have to know,” Leon pleaded, using the cutest face he could muster, “I’ll do the dishes,”

His father let out a little sigh, “Ok, maybe, but only after I finish my work, and make sure Purrloin isn’t scared to death,”

Letting out a shout of victory, Leon jumped down the remaining steps. Running to the kitchen he fished out two plates and a bowl, for him, his paps, and Purrloin, respectively. He eagerly threw them on the counter, flinching at the loud sound they made.

“Careful Lil’ sunshine, I don’t want ya to get more hurt.”

He guiltily let his paps do the rest of the work, opting to feed Purrloin with the fresh berries from the garden. The rest of dinner went on without mention of the phone call nor the events of the day. 

Collapsing in his bed, he dreamed of blue skies and someone else.

“Leon,” a pinch on his cheek jerked him awake. He looked around seeing his father squatting next to him. He then looked out the window.

“Paps! It’s still dark outside,” he exclaimed pointing toward the horizon.

“Hey! You can see the sun just a little bit,”

“Yeah, only a little,” he squinted out the window, blinking out the sleep still left in his eyes, “but it’s still too early,”

“No time for complaining! Let’s go!”

Leon made an effort to groan from getting out of bed to when he and his father were already out in the field. They were down a ways away from their manor, where the silos and barn were. 

“Wake up, Lil’ Sunshine!” his paps shouted, earning another groan out of Leon, “up you get, we are gonna feed the Wooloo,”

Nothing seemed to register just yet. Slapping his face, Leon grabbed two buckets of feed and dragged them to the troughs on the other side of the fence. The Wooloo and Dubwool seemed to have noticed him as they stood up from under their tree. Bleats came closer and closer to him as he dumped the buckets in one trough. 

“I’ll come back!” he said to the Wooloo who couldn’t quite reach the feed. 

He ran with the two, now much lighter, buckets back to the barn. His father seemed to have gathered all the Yampers from their little house, which usually meant the Wooloo will be moving pens.

“Leon!” His paps looked up, “when yer done, come down to the crop fields!”

Giving his father a thumbs up, he turned and finished refilling his buckets. 

Once he filled the other troughs, Leon wandered over to the Yampers, making sure he petted all of them before moving to the empty crop fields. Seeing his paps on the tractor, filled him with excitement because it meant he got to drive it! He skipped down the rest of the way being careful of the old Bunnelby holes they covered up last year.

“Do I get to drive the tractor today?” he impatiently asked.

“Not alone this time! I don’t want yer mother lecturing me about a run-over fence again,”

The two of them laughed as they reminisced over the very extended lecture the two of them received when Leon’s mother found the broken fence from the first time he rode a tractor.

Turning the soil went as smoothly as you can get with a 7-year-old behind the wheel. The early morning was filled with laughter and work. Commanding the Yampers round up all the Wooloo and Dubwool to the greener paddock, Leon sat atop the fence. All the heavy-duty work was left to his paps, even when he tried to help. Farm work is a little too intense for someone his age and he had to accept that.

Everything they could do was finished by the early afternoon, which made the two boys remember how hungry they were. Having such a small farm was not low maintenance in the slightest, but it did lower the workload just a little.

“Okay, Dandelion, let’s have a break for lunch,” His father finally said, “I’ll come back out later to finish up for the day,”

Traversing back to their house, they discussed what they should eat, settling on their go-to mushroom curry. 

“Hey, paps? Do you think I will be strong like you one day?” Leon asked. He was playing with his food, stirring the rice and making a mini hill.

“Dandelion, you’re already as strong as me,” He looked up, “maybe even more!”

“I don’t think so,” visibly deflating, he stopped with his fiddling, “I wouldn’t’ve been hurt and made you sad,”

The sound of a chair scraping along the tile took Leon’s gaze, seeing his father approach where he was seated. His face matched his expression when he first saw Leon yesterday.

“Look at me, up Lee,” he did as he was told, maintaining eye contact with the deep brown eyes, “ya Lil’ hero, you had to go through hell yesterday, and yet here you are, still the little happy sunshine I know. Ya acknowledged all these feelings in yer head and learned from something bad,”

Grabbing his bandaged hands, Leon’s father held them in front of his face. “Lookit, battle scars. Yeh, I bet these would have hurt,” the brown eyes turned glassy, “They prolly don’t hurt now, but it will hurt here and here,”

He pointed at Leon’s head and chest. Letting go of his hands, he rolled up his own sleeves.

“Yer a lot stronger than ya think,” He squatted down to Leon’s height, “I know yer a lot stronger than me in that,”

Leon didn’t really know what his paps meant but he started looking at his experience in a different light. It was a horrible thing to remember, he wishes it never happened, but it did. He can’t change the past. He doesn’t know how to change yet, maybe soon.

“Come on, Dandelion,” paps stood up, “let's finish up and we can watch TV, I heard the championship is on tonight,”

* * *

“Dean! I’m home! Is Leon ok? Can you tell me everything-”

Carta walked into the living room finding the TV running. On the couch, there was Leon snuggled on top of his father with a Charizard plush caught between them. Purrloin seemed to have joined them, peacefully sleeping at the top of Dean’s head. Both boys snored to their heart's content. She smiled at the sight, it seemed they fell asleep while playing if the cacophony of Leon’s pokemon toys had anything to say.

Walking into the room, she turned off the TV and closed in on the couch where her boys were. Poking her husband’s face, careful to not disturb Leon, she tried her best to wake him up. Annoyed hums told her she was successful, so she kept with her incessant nudges.

“What,” Dean finally answered, “No, it’s weekend,”

“Mate, you have a farm,” She laughed when he jumped up, having Leon tumble onto the floor, “It’s alright dear, the wooloo look fine,”

“Ow, that hurt!” Even with his shout of pain, Leon still laid on the floor as if he was going straight back to sleep.

“Up you get!” Carta picked him up and landed him on his feet, “Oh dear! Is this what they did to your hair?! Why didn’t you fix it!”

“I only know how to shear Wooloo and I’m sure no one would have wanted that,” 

“DON’T SHEAR MY HEAD!”

“See?”

Carta sighed, wondering how he could teach these two idiot boys. 

“Come to the patio, Leon, I’ll clean up your hair,” She made her way out of the room, “And Dean, bring be a pair of scissors,”

The family made their way outside, placing themselves on the mismatched step stools and chairs. Carta surveyed the uneven hair in front of her, it broke her heart to see his son’s beloved hair in ruin. She settled the frizzy curls with a brush, contemplating on what she should do.

“Mum, can you cover up my scar?” Leon turned around, and pointed at his forehead, “this one,”

“What? Lee, I thought you like that scar,” she watched as he turned his head back, he seemed to be thinking about it. 

“I think it’s still cool, but other people don’t,”

“Ok, Lee,” and then she started cutting. The short curls were easy to style, being pretty difficult to mess up. They stuck out from the sides of his head giving her an idea. She finished up on his new fringe, moving on to the more difficult part.

“How about this, Lee?” she showed himself in a small mirror, “Your hair looks just like wings now, my little angel,”

Grinning, Leon turned to his mother giving her two thumbs up.

“Cut my hair next!” his paps exclaimed, “not too short! I’d like to keep my princely looks,”

That statement made Lee and his mother laugh. 

“Lee, go inside and grab some breakfast while I cut this rascal’s hair,”

“Hey!”

Leon ran inside giggling. Instead of going straight to the kitchen, he turned to the bathroom. Looking at his new hairstyle, he played with his fringe that tickled his face. In the reflection, he could see a glimpse of his parents smiling, they looked happy.

  
_ An angel _ , he thought, as he looked back at himself,  _ maybe. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [4171 words]
> 
> \- Leon’s father: Dean (Rosoideae, higher classification of roses [aka better than Rose])  
> \- Roses are red, Violets are blue (Leon’s parents)  
> \- The headmistress: Mrs Diana (Dionaea muscipula, Venus flytrap)  
> \- (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32967180878.html) this is how I think uniforms would look, they really are styling.  
> \- (https://gzraise.en.made-in-china.com/product/lvjmdyOFPzro/China-Custom-Fashion-Student-School-Sport-Uniforms.html) sports uniform but in red  
> \- Dean gives Carta vegetables as cute nicknames (ok so pumpkins are not a vegetable but I don’t care about the mature ovaries of a plant that constitutes a fruit)  
> \- I have the littlest knowledge on farming but I'm trying (I'm like 90% sure you don’t turn soil with a tractor but tractors are cool)
> 
> Up next: Brotherhood


	3. Brotherhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonia has some thoughts...
> 
> Leon prepares himself for a new addition to the family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letting anyone that reads this know that I'll be updating chapters whenever I find mistakes or something of the sort.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter!

Sonia was standing in the middle of Wedgehurst Airport, stuffed Yamper plush in hand, waiting for her Gran Maggy to get through customs. It always seemed like they were stopped by strangers asking about pokemon or what her grandmother was up to. She supposed being the region’s professor would have some sort of fame attached to it. 

“Gran! Let’s go!” her plea went unnoticed. She huffed wondering how long it would take until she could be back in her own bed.

A glance back down the crowded terminal, it was evident that this would take a little longer than she hoped. Sonia wanted to get to the exit, where she knew Leon would be waiting, as fast as she could but Gran Maggy gave her an earful the last time she ran away from her. 

Sighing again, she carried herself and her suitcase to a bench to wait out the sudden delay. 

Of course, her and Gran Maggy's trip to Kanto was fun, but she knew her mother only offered her to go so she didn’t need to worry about taking care of her. All her mama’s work was important, she knew that, but she barely saw her. Playing with her Yamper’s ears, she felt the jetlag weighing down her eyes. Planes were awful to her, she can’t stand being in one for so long. 14 hours! With that baby crying for half the time, it felt like more.

“Sonia, dear!”

Jumping at the sudden call, she looked at the now dissipating crowd. Her Gran Maggy was furiously waving her over.

“Come along now,” Gran called again, “that Leon fellow would be waiting for you, hm?”

The two strolled past the last stretch of the hall of shops and restaurants. Filtered air started to make her feel sick. All those hours on a plane took everything out of her, it was worse when she found out how difficult it was for her to sleep in the air.

“Look, Sonia,” her Gran gestured forward, “we’re near the exit now, I bet you’ll see your little fellow soon,”

“Really?” she started frantically looking around, “Where is he?”

Her Gran Maggy chuckled, “Dear, we still need to head downstairs,”

With that, Sonia started sprinting toward the exit. Her Gran’s calls were deaf to her ear as she started hopping down the steps. The poor suitcase she was pulling along was being beaten up with every hit of the stairs, she didn’t care. Looking up, she saw the faintest blur of purple hair.

“LEEEEEOOOON!” she shouted, almost tripping on the plateau of flooring.

“SONNNNNIIIAAA!”

Her suitcase was long forgotten at the foot of the stairs as she ran towards her friend, mimicking his open arms. As 7-and-a-half-year-olds, Sonia and Leon have yet to have any concept of the laws of physics. The two didn’t seem to care, however, as they slammed together then immediately flipped onto the floor.

“Sunny! I missed you, why’d ya have t’ leave for a month?” Leon sounded so sad. He held out a hand to help her up.

“Lee, I missed you too, I- WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR?” Her newfound revelation made her train of thought stop in its tracks.

Taking his hand, she stared at his new short hair. 

“You look like you have bedhead,” 

“Wha- no! I look amazing,” 

The ginger started giggling at his statement which, he soon followed with his boisterous laughter.

“Hey now, ya little rodents, time to leave,” the two looked up to Leon’s father.

“Look, Lee,” Sonia pointed up to his father, “your dad looks like a prince with his long hair, you look like a rat now.”

“HEY!” Leon defensively pushed down his hair, “s’not that bad!”

“Ok, ok!” his Paps laughed nervously, pulling Leon aside, “Let’s hop’n the truck now,”

* * *

_Leon woke up to the sound of frantic footsteps and a slamming door. He looked out the window, it was still dark. His parents shouldn't be awake yet, the blinking 2:00 am on his alarm clock confirmed that. Pulling up the covers over his head, he wondered if someone broke into the house. Staying quiet, he kept his ears open in hopes of figuring out who or what was the culprit of the noises._

_The muffled speech was all he could make out, however, it was clear he had nothing to worry about. He flipped over his duvet letting himself try and make out what his Paps was saying. Another voice popped up. His mum?_

_Now, he had fully thrown his blanket aside. Pushing himself off his bed as quietly as possible, he crept to his door._

_“Pumpkin, I think we should check-up with a- a doctor or-”_

_“I’m fine! I’m fine-”_

_“Sorry Doll, but you don’t look it. We could visit Sonia’s mother-”_

_“Sandy,”_

_“Sandy. But, Carta, the last time this happened-”_

_“Yes, Dean, I know,”_

_Was his mum sick? That didn’t sound good at all. She was never sick! Leon opened his door, light filtered through his room and he stood for a second, adjusting to the brightness, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes._

_“Ok, I’ll go but make an appointment. I don’t want to bother her over something that could be small,”_

_He walked towards the bathroom where their voices were coming from. They were talking a lot quieter now, he couldn’t make anything out even as he was approaching closer to them. Peeping around the doorframe, he saw his mother on the floor with his father crouching next to her._

_“Mum?” his voice sounded so quiet even to himself._

_His parents immediately turned around to meet his eyes._

_“Dandelion, what are ya doing up?” His Paps moved his attention to him while his mother turned back, “Come on, let’s get back in bed,”_

_“Is mum sick?” Leon ignored his father, “Will she be ok?”_

_“Of course, Dandelion,” his mother peeped, “go back to sleep, don’t worry about me,”_

_“But-”_

_“She’s right Leon,” taking his hand, his father walked him out of the bathroom, “come on now,”_

* * *

“An’ that’s what happened!” Leon stated, “That’s why they’re with your mama,”

The children were sitting in the middle of Sonia’s room in her Gran Maggy’s house. Leon was surrounded by yarn, furiously working on a bracelet. 

“How’d ya do that?” lifting his head, he saw Sonia tangled in strings of multicoloured wool, “this is so hard!”

Scooting his way across the carpet, Leon started cleaning up the mess of knots and loose ends. 

“Here,” he gave Sonia’s incomplete bracelet back, “pretend it’s like hair,”

“Oh,” she pushed her glasses back up, continuing on the braided looking bracelet, “I think your mama’s gonna be ok, by the way,”

“Are you sure? What if she dies!” He threw his arms up, trying to show how bad that would be to his friend.

“She won’t die,”

“But, what if she does!”

“She won’t,”

“What if-”

“She. Won’t.”

Leon challenged Sonia with his watery eyes. He knew he wouldn’t win. Green eyes turned with a huff, turning attention back to crafting. The purpled haired boy didn’t let up just yet, shuffling ever closer to his friend.

“She won’t die, Lee,” she said, still trying her best with the obviously deformed bracelet, “She’s just sick right? You only saw her like that once!”

“Then why are they going to your mum?”

“I dunno, maybe just in case?”

Leon turned quiet. Fiddling with his completed bracelet, he thought about what she said a little more.

“Hey,” Sonia poked, “finish the end for me and we can go see your parents,”

“What about your Gram Gram?” he asked, taking her bracelet, “we can’t leave the house! That’s not allowed,”

“S’ok,” Sonia giggled, “I do it all the time! You’ll see!”

“Hm,” he hummed with uncertainty, “but if we get in trouble, it’s your fault”

“Ok, but then you have to give me your bracelet,”

“Here,” Leon placed the newly finished wool band along with his own into Sonia’s hand.

“Hey, wait, these can be our friendship bracelets!”

“What?”

“Yeah! Friendship bracelets were really popular in Unova, ya know? We give each other a bracelet and make a wish,”

“A wish?”

“Yes, and when the bracelet breaks, that means our wish came true!”

Sonia grabbed his wrist, yanking it closer to her, and wrapped her bracelet around it. It was a simple braided bracelet with three different tones of turquoise. There were places where the line went too loose and time when it was too tight but it was still very pretty to Leon.

“There!” she said, adjusting her glasses. She held out her hand, “Now me!”

“How are we gonna get out of the house?” He picked up his own, neater, bracelet, “I wanna know too!”

“I said I’ll show you!” Sonia scoffed, looking down at the gold-coloured band, “come on, let’s go now!”

Tugging her arm out of his hand, Sonia walked up to her hook of bags. She took out a satchel and turned back the Leon who was still on the floor, rolling up the unused yarn. His shirt did nothing to hide the plethora of bruises and scars, nor did his shorts. Scanning his hair, the girl noticed how uneven it was, with chunks cut down to the scalp cleverly hidden by longer, thicker strands. Though, not clever enough for Sonia not to notice.

“Why did you cut your hair short?” she noticed his gaze averting hers, _‘he never does that,_ she thought.

“I wanted- I didn’t like long hair.” 

_‘Lie,’_ they turned away from each other, _‘he loved his hair,’_

She didn’t press and carried on, filling her bag with snacks and masks, the essentials for sneaking out. Walking back to where Leon zoned out, she takes his hand.

“S’ok,” she smiled, “Let’s go to your Mama and Papa,”

“... ok,” he smiled back.

The house seemed quiet to them. Sonia held it for a little longer, giving Leon a shushing motion. He copied her with a silent nod causing her to start moving. Ear against her door, the ginger listened out for any traces of movement. All that was heard was quiet snores, most likely coming from her Gran Maggy’s room.

Reaching up to the door handle, she slowly turned the handle, careful to not make any sounds. The two tip-toed down the hall. Sonia had memorised every creak in the floorboard, all Leon had to do was follow.

Instead of a turn to the staircase, like he assumed they were going, Sonia pulled the two of them into the bathroom. 

“Why are we in the bathroom?” he whispered quizzically.

“Shhh!” her eyes drifted onto the window and her plan suddenly became clear to Leon.

Sonia motioned Leon to come closer while putting the toilet cover down as quietly as possible. Holding her bag tight, she stood on top of the seat. Turning up, she tugged at the window, in hopes to slide it open. It seemed like the pane wasn’t gonna move without a fight.

Leon pulled at Sonia’s skirt, grabbing her attention and gesturing her off the seat. Climbing up himself, he had his go on opening the jammed window. One sharp pull was all it took for him which led to a loud bang into the wall. Turning over, he saw Sonia hunched next to the door, no doubt, listening for her grandma. He waited until the girl nodded back at him to make his way out.

He stuck his head out to examine where exactly he would go and soon realised they were above the verandah. He cautiously slid out, legs first, reaching down to feel for the roof below. Once he felt safe, he let go, backing away to make room for his friend. 

As soon as Sonia jumped out herself, she showed Leon down the drain pipe. Watching as Leon tried to travel down the pipe with a vice grip set the redhead into a small fit of laughter. 

“How d’ya know how to get out?” He asked once they were far from the house, “It was scary!”

“It’s boring inside,” she giggled, “and Gran Maggy won’t let me outside by myself, ya know? I get into trouble anyways, but it’s better than doing nothing, right?”

“Yeah,” he answered off-handedly. He never was kept inside for all that long, there was always something to do, especially with the farm. Leon rarely got the chance to be bored, he found it difficult to understand what Sonia was talking about. To him, he found it all too interesting to observe her, to figure out why he was so different to him.

* * *

The clean automatic doors of Wedgwhurst hospital reminded Leon of his and Sonia’s first encounter. Sterile air hit the two, giving another wave of nostalgia of what felt like eternity ago.

Sonia skipped up to the front desk where a stout woman manned, she looked down at them with her warm eyes. 

“Hello, Sonia, darling!” the woman bellowed, “Here with a little friend today, I see,”

“U-huh!” she nodded, “we’re going to visit his parents, Miss Mia! They’re with mama,”

“Is that so?” she turned to her monitor. The desk was too tall for Leon the see over, so he watched the receptionist’s face trying to gauge her expression. 

“Seems like they’re just down the hall, room 1C,” Mia turned to Leon, “Kingston, correct?”

“Yes, ma'am,”

“Sandy has told us a lot about you,” the woman tittered, pinching his cheeks, “For the Mr and Mrs,”

Miss Mia handed the pair a honey lolly each and promptly shooed them through the doors. Leon immediately plopped the candy in his mouth, rolling it to sit in his cheek.

“Why’d she call us ‘Mr and Mrs’? Sounds old,” 

“Dunno,” Sonia shrugged, “maybe ‘cause your hair makes you look like a trash Zigzagoon,”

“Yours makes you look like a dirty Eldegoss on fire,” he retorted.

The duo laughed at the bad insults, stumbling down the hall. A creaking door caught their attention, almost luring them in as if it were alive.

Leon heard the voice of his Paps, making him unconsciously walk towards the room.

“Paps-“ he was cut off by a pair of small arms pushing him backwards by the mouth.

“We’re not supposed to be here, remember?” Sonia hissed, “Wait until after they’re done.”

“Mmk,” he muffled back, still trapped behind her hands.

With Leon still in her arms, she dragged herself to the wall so they could stay unnoticed by the three adults while still being able to hear them. She looked through the crack of the door and made out two shadows sitting down, as well her own mother standing up. The boy in her arms started to squirm which only made her squeeze him tighter.

“… is still on the table. It’s still very early, you have the time.”

“Thanks, Sandy, we’ll think about-“

“We’re keeping it.”

_Oh_ , Sonia realised, _So that’s what’s happening,_

“Are you sure, Carta?” 

“Yes, Dean. I know you wanted this too,”

“We’ll need to tell Dandelion, too,”

Suddenly, Sonia felt something wet move across her hand.

“Ew!” She shrieked, letting go of Leon. She stumbled back, wiping down her hands before realising Leon had barged his way into the room.

“MẸ! Are you dying!?” Leon yelled. Sonia swore she told him his mother was not, in fact, dying.

“Leon? What are you doing here?” his mother called.

“I suppose Sonia is here too,” Sonia saw her mama open the door fully, “You must learn not to be nosy,”

“Sorry, mama,” she looked down, making her way into the room as well. Glancing up, she could see Leon asking what seemed to be a billion questions to his parents. Sonia sat in the empty seat across from the family, awaiting the inevitable scolding.

“Are you really gonna die, mum? Are you really sick? Are you sure?” the purple-haired boy continued, “Can Sonia’s mama fix you? Are you-”

“Dandelion,” his father interrupted, “everything is fine, mum is fine, we’re gonna be just fine,”

The gentle smile seemed too happy to be fake, calmed Leon’s worries. Wiping his teary eyes, he climbed up to sit in between his parents.

“Sonia.” Her mother snapped her out of her daze, “We’ll talk about this later, are we clear?”

“Yes, mama,” she put a facade of guilt, tilting her head down enough to seem sad but also enough so she could see the Kingstons.

“Now,” Sonia’s mother turned, “your mother is not going to die, Leon, everything is perfectly normal,”

“But, I saw mum-”

“Look here, darling,” his mother guided Leon to look at her, “I’m ok, see? You’re gonna be an older brother soon,”

“A brother?”

“Yes, Sunshine,” he turned to his Paps, “yer gonna have a little sibling to help take care of,”

“Oh,” Leon stared blankly, “I’m still your favourite, right Paps?”

His father’s laughter bellowed in the room. Leon looked at him as if he was crazy for laughing at such a serious question.

“Of course, Dandelion,” he chuckled, “Don’t tell your little sibling, though,”

“Ok!” Leon made a ‘shush’ gesture, “Mum can have me as hers too!”

“Hey!” his mother yelled, “I love all my family equally!”

Sonia watched as laughter filled the room. She smiled and laughed as well.

* * *

“Mum! Mum! He hit me!” 

“I know, Dandelion,” his mother laughed, “I felt it too,”

Leon pressed his ear against his mum’s stomach as if he was trying to find his little brother with his hearing alone. 

“When’s he gonna come out?” He turned up to meet his mother’s eyes.

“Soon, I hope,”

“But it’s been sooooo lonnnnng!” Leon fell back on the couch, still looking up at his mother with the most annoyed face he could muster.

When met with laughter, he flailed his way back up. 

“Hoooooop,” he whispered to his mum’s stomach, “Come out and meet me. We can play with the wooloo together!”

“Not sure if Hop can play with ya straight out the womb,” Leon was hoisted up in the air by his father, “You can sure try but yer mother over there will give you a firm talking to,”

“Paps!” he squeaked while being placed on his shoulders. 

“Yer gonna need to be a good big brother, ya hear?” his father started hopping up and down, as Leon held onto his head for dear life.

“Dean,” his mother warned, “don’t you dare drop Leon.”

“We don’t want that now, do we,” he chuckled. Moving Leon off his shoulders and plopped him back on the ground. “Getting heavy, aren’t you Dandelion?”

“I’m dizzy now and it’s your fault!” the boy flopped onto the floor as if holding the rug would stop the world from spinning. He heard his Paps’ laughter and his mother’s tutting before a soft thud drew his eyes up. His father was kneeling at his mother’s side, a fallen cup spilt into the carpet. He looked like he was grasping onto the couch for dear life.

“I’m ok, I’m fine,” his Paps said, not sounding at all convincing, “I- I just tripped, give me a sec,”

“Dean, you shouldn’t stress yourself,” his mother was barely above a whisper, “we want to keep you safe and healthy,”

Leon shuffled along the floor towards his father, reaching for him. Putting his hand on the other’s, he whimpered as if to ask if he was ok.

“Aye,” his father shakily stood up, “Look up, Dandelion, I’m fine. Just a little trip,”

He rubbed a tear off of the young boy’s cheek.

“Carta, I’ll take our Dandelion upstairs, it’s getting late anyway,”

“Ok… just be careful,”

He picked up the boy and sat him on his hip and walked out of the room. Leon tried wriggling his way out but he was unsuccessful.

“No! Paps! I’m too heavy now, you’ll get hurt again,” He protested, “I don't wanna hurt you,”

“Dandelion,” he turned to his son, “look at me, I’m ok. You will never hurt me, ok?” I’m even carrying you up these stairs! I’m a strong man, you weigh less than a sack of flour!”

“But-”

“Nuh-uh, I’m your Papsy, I’m the one who should be worried about _you_ ,” He stopped in front of Leon’s bedroom door, contemplating for just a second, “Hey, how about you give your little brother one of your Charizard toys, and I’ll give him my wooloo?”

“Huh?”

“We make sure Hop has a little bit of us if we’re ever apart,” He settled Leon back down onto his feet, “Just in case,”

“Ok!” Leon ran into his room and sat, staring at his shelves of mostly Charizard toys and comic books. _Babies can’t read,_ he thought, sliding his gaze to focus on the toys. Which could he bear to give to his new brother? What can a baby play with? 

The thought was almost immediate as he gazed at a certain Charizard figurine, one with moveable wings and possible limbs. He grabbed it with no hesitation, wandering to the nursery, finding his father already standing next to the crib.

“Papsy! I’ll give him this one,” he placed the figurine inside of the crib, next to the wooloo plush his dad chose.

“This one? Isn’t this your favourite, I thought you loved it?” his father questioned.

“Ya! I do! So Hop should love it too, right?”

“Of course,” his Paps chuckled, it sounded almost sad, “you know, Leon-”

A crash coming from downstairs interrupted, queuing both boys to run downstairs. Leon watched as his father ran further than him. Picking himself up from almost tripping down the stairs, he rounded the corner to the kitchen. Pots and cutlery were scattered along the floor surrounding both his parents.

“Take me to the hospital,” his mum gasped, “ _now_.”

* * *

After begging his father to let him leave for the hospital, Leon found himself sitting in the waiting room, away from his parents, left alone with his thoughts. He almost regretted coming as the fluorescent lights nodded him to a sleepy haze, the only thing keeping him up was the thought of meeting his brother. 

It seemed like eons until his father returned to him. He had a small but happy smile plastered on his face, making Leon mimic it. He practically jumped out of his seat, jogging up to his dad.

“Dandelion,” he knelt down, holding his hand out, “it’s time come inside and meet your baby brother,” 

“Ok,” he let his father lead him down the hall, “Papsy, why couldn’t I stay in the room?”

“Well- I think you’re a little too young for that. Even I had trouble staying in there,”

The two entered the room where Leon found his mother looking exhausted but absolutely beaming. In her arms was his brother, crying. 

“Leon, Dandelion,” he looked up to his mother’s calling, moving towards the bed as she motioned him towards herself, “come meet Hop,”

His eyes gazed upon the small crying boy, in awe. Grasping the short railing of the bed he leaned in closer.

“Hi Hop!” he introduced, “I’m Leon, your big brother!”

As he reached in to attempt to hold his sibling, Hop held onto one of his fingers, evidently, cueing his cries to stop. His parent’s praises and exclamations of surprise became deaf to his ears, his focus solely set on his now sleeping brother.

“I’m gonna be the best big brother for you, Hop,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> > doodle of Leon and Sonia as kids! [pic.twitter.com/ZedVrbHCGH](https://t.co/ZedVrbHCGH)
>> 
>> — トト (@onii_pamn) [August 27, 2020](https://twitter.com/onii_pamn/status/1298984661465444352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> 
> \- Sonia's nickname is Sunny day shortened to Sunny  
> \- Sonia's mum: Sandy (Sandersonia, the same origin as Sonia)  
> \- Professor Magnolia is Gran Maggy to Sonia, I know Magnolia is their last names but like, I don’t wanna make another name  
> \- Old houses don’t have flyscreen doors, that’s my reasoning on why children can escape through windows  
> \- Hospital receptionist: Miss Mia (Lamiaceae, the mints flower family, know for some healing plants)  
> \- Mẹ: mother in việt (pronounced m-air [somewhat] in the southern dialect, idk how to convey into English)
> 
> Sorry, this took so long!
> 
> check out my twitter where I post art ((and maybe some updates))  
>  https://twitter.com/onii_pamn 
> 
> up next: Campfire


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